A Mediator Role of Social Media Attitudes on the Relationship of Problematic Internet Use With Social Safeness and Pleasure in Adolescents

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to examine whether or not there is a mediatorrole of social media attitudes on the relationship with problematic internet use and socialsafeness and pleasure of adolescents and to lead new studies. 461 high school students whowere educated (9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades) at high schools located in Erzurum, Turkeyin the 2016 -2017 academic year were enrolled in this study. In order to analysing the data,frequency distribution, t Test, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient andHierarchical Regression Analyses were used by using SPSS 21.0. In order to collect datafrom the participants “Problematic Internet Usage Scale – Adolescent”, “Social Safenessand Pleasure Scale”, “Social Media Attitudes Scale” and also to get demographicalinformation “Demographical Information Form” were used. At the end of the study, themeaningful mediator role of social media attitudes (sub dimensions are social competenceand need for sharing) on the relationship between problematic internet use and socialsafeness and pleasure on adolescents was seen. Also, there were positive relationshipsbetween social safeness and pleasure and social media attitudes; problematic internet useand social media attitudes. Beside there was a negative relationship between social safenessand pleasure and problematic internet use.